VGP – Romania advocates strengthening Viet Nam-EU relations and makes efforts to enhance the signing of the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU- Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) during its Presidency of the Council of the EU for the first six months of 2019.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis made that statement on April 15 during his meeting with PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

At the meeting, the Vietnamese PM expressed his hope that Romania will continue supporting the signing and approval of the EVFTA and the EVIPA, suggesting the two sides promote cooperation in such areas as petrol, agriculture, food processing and strengthen comprehensive development in fields of labor, education-training, culture-tourism, agriculture, security-defense and science-technology.

He conveyed Party General Secretary, State President Nguyen Phu Trong’s invitation to President Klaus Iohannis to visit Viet Nam on the occasion of the 70th founding anniversary of the diplomatic ties and the Romanian President gladly accepted.

Romania attaches importance to the friendship and traditional cooperation between the two sides, asserted Klaus Iohannis, expecting that the Vietnamese PM’s visit to Romania will create a force to boost the two nations’ cooperation in all spheres.

The two leaders agreed that the two sides need to continue pushing their ministries, agencies, localities and partners to actively enhance connectivity in order to promote their relations more effectively, bringing crucial achievements on the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

They affirmed that the two countries will maintain close coordination at multi-lateral forums such as the UN and ASEM.

*The same day, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc confirmed that Viet Nam attaches importance to the relations with Romania and highly spoke of the Romanian Senate’s contributions to Viet Nam-Romania relationship at his meeting with Romanian President of the Senate Călin Popescu Tăriceanu.

He expressed thanks to the support of Romania, including its Senate in acerbating the signing of the EVFTA and the EVIPA during its Presidency of the Council of the EU.

He extended Vietnamese National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan’s invitation to President of the Senate Călin Popescu Tăriceanu to visit Viet Nam at an appropriate time.

Romanian Senate attaches importance to the traditional relationship between the two nations, expecting to enhance the two sides’ legislative ties, thus promoting the bilateral relationship.

Romania actively advocates the EVFTA and the EVIPA and is boosting the legal process for the soon signing, said CălinPopescu Tăriceanu, proposing the two nations enhance cooperation in potential areas including agriculture, labor and trade, heading to the bilateral trade value of US$1 billion.

Romania hopes to receive more Vietnamese students and expand the granting of licenses for Vietnamese to go to worker in Romania, he added.